Opinion on buying a Lawn Boy

[Vervepipes]

Also finally got my shipping quote for the oil seals today, so they're on the way too. This should make for a tight engine.

 

[Vervepipes]

Everything came in the mail yesterday, as soon as the holiday rush is done I'll be slapping the engine back together.

 

[Vervepipes]

I lost some steam over the holidays, a lot due to the utility room getting cluttered with stuff we moved around. I finally got to work today, the carb got a mild dish detergent bath and was rebuilt using new parts and gaskets. I also went out to Princess Auto and bought some self fluxing aluminum brazing rods. When I'm done cleaning up the wheel adjusters I'll turn my focus to the deck. I've decided that I'll use a brass wheel to remove the paint on the deck, I'll test a spot first to see if it mars the aluminum but I hope a soft metal like brass will be OK. Then I'll stop drill the cracks and braze them.

Anyways, first things first, pictures of the now clean carb. The cover has a few scratches that didn't come 100% clean but I'll call it good. I do need to buff that metal rod though...

 

[2smoked]

Those plastic carbs are nice and simple and easy to clean. Yours is looking good.

I remember when mowers like yours were new. There were guys who would laugh at them because it had a "cheap plastic carb" and a "cheap 2-cycle engine". They spoke with pride because they refused to buy one of those "junky" Lawn-Boys. Well, all their so-called "better" mowers ended up on the scrap pile decades ago. Yes, I know some will say that everything wears out and that is true. But many vintage Lawn Boys are still going strong and all it takes is a little work and reasonable care and maintenance.

Looking forward to seeing yours running again.

 

[gearnoggin]

That carb looks great! That's the first close look at a plastic Lawn Boy carb I've had. Pretty neat.

 

[beg]

are you sure all the parts are on that carb?

 

[Vervepipes]

Both carbs that I have are in the same condition, if anything (except the mounting screw caps) are missing then I'm unaware of it. Do you see something that I don't? This one is slightly different than the one that came on my working motor originally the the manner of securing the air filter cover, and there is a small hole in the front, that is the only missing thing I could think of but I'm going to modify the housing to fit the '79 style cover.

 

[bt3]

Geeze what a cool thread. Took me about 20 minutes to read the whole thing. GREAT pics OP. Love the cat nosing around the underside of the mower deck. Priceless.

My Gold series is not much different, just a bit updated, but the plastic carb is very similar. I've had a lot of issues with it over the years, but it's worth the work in my opinion. I have mine torn apart replacing the rings. I must have had the mixture set too low, or the rings just finally failed after decades, but there was little compression left so I had to tear it down.

Keep us posted. I'll look forward to the finished product.

 

[Vervepipes]

I got around to the engine block... and broke a piston ring. It needs a bit more degreasing but will come out decent. The piston top and inside the cylinder don't have loads of carbon which makes life easier. I intend on trying to have the engine back together in a week's time frame, allowing me to work on brazing the deck cracks, but being winter it's not like I can do much painting anyways.